The City of Nome is officially onboard to financially support the community’s Housing First Project, also known as HomePlate.
During last week’s regular Common Council meeting, the city passed a resolution to participate in the Community Development Block Grant Program, or CDBG.
The City is in process of applying for a grant with the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development worth over $675,000. This grant would allow the City and Nome Community Center to fund the HomePlate Apartments on 6th Avenue near the community baseball field.
Otherwise, Monday’s regular meeting was short and concise. An ordinance regarding an easement of city property to the State Department of Transportation was passed on to second reading.
And during Council Member’s comments, Scot Henderson put forth the idea that Nome Common Council meetings should open with a pledge of allegiance.
Henderson pointed out that many municipal bodies around the state begin with the pledge as does the Nome School Board.
That change to proceedings could be established in the near future along with a land acknowledgement to the Indigenous peoples whose land Nome City Hall resides on.
Student Representative Kellie Miller suggested the council start doing land acknowledgments along with the pledge of allegiance to “pay respect.”
There was no executive session after the meeting Monday evening and the Nome Common Council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for next Monday, Nov. 28.
Image at the top: The Nome City Council is backing the Nome Community Center to apply for a community development block grant which would fund the HomePlate apartments in Nome. Photo by John Coe, KNOM (March 31, 2022).
